The word orthodoxy derives etymologically from the Greek expressions orthos meaning “straight” and doxa meaning “opinion”; in Greek, Latin and, later, the Germanic languages, it carried the clear ecclesiastical denotation of “right belief.“Each wing of the “traditional” persuasions in Christendom-Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, and Protestantism-claims its tenets represent orthodox Christianity, which is to say, each insists it is the correct expression of the Christian faith.

Orthodoxy has a Criterion

The concept of orthodoxy assumes some authoritative criterion or criteria. After all, correct religious belief implies that not all professing religious belief is correct and that what more contemporary religionists style latitudinarianism — the idea that virtually all religious views are valid or that validity and invalidity of belief are categories inappropriate to religion — is simply fallacious, and, in fact, pernicious. Christendom, however, has not answered with unanimity the question of what constitutes the criterion of orthodoxy. The patristic faith in its contention with Montanism and other heresies stressed the Holy Scriptures within the deposit of apostolic tradition as the criterion. The medieval church-East and West-increasingly accorded tradition the place of ultimate criterion of orthodoxy. The Reformation heralded a revived insistence on Scripture alone as the ultimate authority of the faith, without abandoning all tradition. Among those classified as radical reformers three conflicting answers to the question of the criterion of orthodoxy were purveyed: the Bible alone, apart from any tradition (Anabaptists); immediate subjective revelation (the Spiritualists and Quakers); and human reason (the anti-Trinitarian rationalists). None of these answers sufficed in isolation from one or more of the others. For example, the Roman Catholic insistence on the primacy of tradition as the interpreter of the Scriptures was vulnerable to the charge of unbiblical traditionalism. Conversely, when the Reformation dictum of sola scriptura was sequestered from all appeal to tradition as it was among the Anabaptists, the Romanists could easily show how such an approach rendered every man capable of interpreting the Bible for himself and thus opened wide the ecclesiastical door to heterodox cults and schisms. Further, the Spiritualist policy of locating the criterion of orthodoxy (although they were not especially concerned with the definition of orthodoxy espoused by the Roman Catholics and Protestants) in immediate revelation was susceptible to the charge of utter subjectivism. The same charge could be leveled against the rationalists, in addition to that of its tendency to undermine the authority of the Holy Scriptures, some of whose principal teachings like the incarnation of Christ and the trinity seem repugnant to common sense reason.

Pelikan notes that the orthodox consensus of tradition that shaped patristic (early) Christianity-East and West- consisted of catholicity, confessionalism, and antiquity.2 For example, “In the usage of Eusebius, the terms orthodox, ancient, and ecclesiastical were almost interchangeable.“3 The patristic church did not sharply distinguish between Scripture and tradition, the teaching of the apostles and that of the ecumenical councils, for it assumed the faithful transmission of Christian tradition was in fact nothing more than fidelity to Scripture itself. It did not seem to occur to them that what we Protestants term sola scriptura could conflict with the views of the church catholic.

Orthodoxy is Inevitable

The attempt to practice Christianity without orthodoxy is as futile as the attempt to play soccer without rules-it produces anarchy and eventually no game at all. Therefore, the abandonment of Christian orthodoxy is almost always superseded not by a void of orthodoxy, but by another and erroneous orthodoxy. For instance, the denial of orthodoxy by many fundamentalists and Pentecostalists is accompanied by a new orthodoxy according to which a fundamentalist leader’s regulations or some Pentecostal “Holy-Spirit experience” become obligatory and normative.

Too, the denial of orthodoxy among liberalism produces the reinvention of orthodoxy. Liberals spurn Biblical infallibility, for example, but they do not thereby throw off the possibility of infallibility for, as Rushdoony observes, “It is a naive and foolish error to assume that ‘deliverance’ from the doctrine of the infallibility of Scripture ‘frees’ a man’s mind from the concept of infallibility. Rather, it means the adoption of a new infallibility as a rival and supposedly liberating concept… . What we face today is not an abandonment of the doctrine of infallibility, but its transfer from God to man, from God’s word to man’s word.“4 The liberal rejection of an orthodox bibliology therefore substitutes humanity for deity as the final arbiter of truth and life and thus institutes a new, i.e., humanistic, orthodoxy.

Protestant orthodoxy escapes the errors of both Papistic traditionalism and heterodox individualism: on the one hand its insistence on sola scriptura inhibits the accumulation of doctrinal and ecclesiastical traditions that undermine Biblical authority as they did in medieval Romanism. On the other hand, its stress on historical continuity and theological accountability protects the church from heterodoxies and cults spawned by appeal to a naked biblicism.

There can be no condemnation of heresy without creedal and confessional standards, and there can be no sola scriptura if tradition is permitted to dominate; hence, both sola scriptura and tradition are essential to orthodoxy.

Orthodoxy is Reviving

The revival of orthodoxy hinges from the human standpoint on two main factors: increased knowledge and rekindled appreciation of the historical continuity of the Christian church, and a recognition of the value of creeds and confessions.

If true Christianity is perceived as initiated at the inception of a particular branch or denomination of Christianity; if, worse still, it is identified exclusively with one’s own local congregation, the concept of orthodoxy is lost, for historic continuity is intrinsic to orthodoxy. When, however, Christianity, and specifically the Christian church, is recognized as the supernaturally spawned multigenerational and multidenominational citizenry populating earth and heaven, all of whose members are intimately united by faith alone with Christ as their Head and therefore to all other human members, interest in history surges, for it is then perceived as the vehicle in which God preserves His people and purpose and the terrestrial stage on which the predestinated victory of the plan of God is acted out. Orthodox believers experience the ecstasy the awareness participation in two millennia — indeed, six millennia — of Christian history sparks: by Christ they are united to Abraham, Paul, Augustine, Anselm, Luther, Calvin, Whitefield, etc., and therefore to the mammoth works God executed in the church and world by the instrumentation of those men and numerous others. The Trinitarian and Christological controversies of the patristic church, and the soteriological of the Reformation church, are our controversies, our heritage. The restorationist5 impulse, according to which Christians abandon the historic dimension of orthodoxy in favor of an attempt to recreate first-century Biblical Christianity and thereby forfeit the rich heritage of God’s operation in the church historic as well as the lessons a recognition of that heritage affords, is squelched. Oddly and ironically, however, such restorationists speak longingly of the return to the “old-time religion,” by which they denote earlier days in their church’s or denomination’s particular history. For instance, they may lament the abandonment of “altar calls” and “saw-dust trails” and charge such abandonment with capitulation to “modernistic” inclinations. They are apparently unaware that these practices-and many others-represent quite modernistic innovations in the faith, and those wishing to embrace historic orthodoxy tend to reject them precisely because they are so modernistic. Likewise, when restorationists charge that a sacramental view and frequent partaking of communion bespeak a revival of Romanism, they only betray their modernistic provincialism. A high view of communion antedates Romanism — indeed, even orthodox soteriology — by centuries.

Essential to orthodoxy is the realization that the Christian faith is a sacred repository of truth designed to be protected and preserved and purveyed to succeeding generations. It follows the Biblical requirement of catechizing covenant children (Dt. 6:6-9), transmitting the oral and written testimony of Christianity to others (2 Tim. 2:2), and defending the faith as a truth deposit against relentless attacks (Jude 3). Orthodoxy perceives the inestimable value of the faith it has been bequeathed and devotes all energies to maintaining its purity. Orthodoxy is not especially concerned with popularity in modern times that prize mainly the transient and glitzy; rather, it sees its noble task as holding in sacred trust and handing on to another generation the faith it has been honored to receive.

If orthodoxy is to be revived, there must be a heightened appreciation of the creeds and confessions-especially the early ecumenical creeds and the Reformation confessions. They serve two indispensable purposes. First, they are safeguards against heresy. In fact, the creeds were hammered out for this very reason. They express a well pondered consensus regarding foundational constituents of the faith — the Trinity, Christology, etc. They guard equally against idle speculation and pernicious error. Second, creeds and confessions are positive declarations of orthodox belief and therefore instruments of education and catechism.

It is difficult to comprehend the pervasive antipathy to confessionalism in contemporary Christianity, for every main argument against confessionalism is demonstrably defective, and every main argument for it is unanswerable. To contend, for example, that “creedalism” subverts Scriptural authority is self-defeating, for every church holds some form of creed-written or unwritten-and is susceptible to the temptation to subordinate the Scriptures to human compositions. If creeds are discovered to be fundamentally defective, they may be revised on the basis of the word of God. To argue that the affirmation of creeds “rationalizes” the faith is equally fallacious, for if there is not some rational content to belief, it degenerates into mere subjectivism. Those who asseverate, “No creed but Christ” fail to understand that the very name Christ is shorn of meaning when deprived of creedal identity. To assert that creeds, like doctrine, divide Christians while Christ unites them is perniciously naive, because the abandonment of creeds jeopardizes the very nature of Christianity. It is both true and unfortunate that Christians bicker about secondary dogma, but the solution to the internecine strife is the confessing and forsaking of pride and the recognition of the catholicity of Christ’s body and authentic Christian unity generated by the Holy Spirit and founded on the objective Christian faith as expressed in the Scriptures and in the creeds of the church. Perhaps ironically, it is the repudiation of creeds that often engenders needless strife, for such a repudiation creates a doctrinal vacuum in which secondary issues easily gain a pronounced and exaggerated importance that an informed adherence to historic creeds and confessions will not readily permit.

A revival of orthodoxy will greatly impede the mad rush toward experientialism, pragmatism, and liberalism to which the modern church is vulnerable.

1 Portions of this essay appeared originally in the the October, 1993, issue of Calvinism Today.
2 Jaroslav Pelikan, The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (Univ. of Chicago Press, 1971), 332-339.
3 ibid., 336.
4 Rousas John Rushdoony, Infallibility: An Inescapable Concept (Vallecito, CA: Ross House, 1978), 4, 7.
5 I am indebted to Theodore Letis for introducing me to this term.
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The Puritan Storm

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The Beast of Revelation: Identified (DVD)

Who is the dreaded beast of Revelation?

Now at last, a plausible candidate for this personification of evil incarnate has been identified (or re-identified). Ken Gentry’s insightful analysis of scripture and history is likely to revolutionize your understanding of the book of Revelation — and even more importantly — amplify and energize your entire Christian worldview!

Historical footage and other graphics are used to illustrate the lecture Dr. Gentry presented at the 1999 Ligonier Conference in Orlando, Florida. It is followed by a one-hour question and answer session addressing the key concerns and objections typically raised in response to his position. This presentation also features an introduction that touches on not only the confusion and controversy surrounding this issue — but just why it may well be one of the most significant issues facing the Church today.

Ideal for group meetings, personal Bible study — for anyone who wants to understand the historical context of John’s famous letter “… to the seven churches which are in Asia.” (Revelation 1:4)

In The Days of These Kings (Book)

Perfect-bound Paperback — 740 pages

The Book of Daniel in Preterist Perspective

“And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever” (Daniel 2:44).

The overarching message of Daniel is that Jesus the Messiah is even now ruling over the nations. He is the King of kings. Daniel tells us that Messiah’s kingdom will advance in the whole world from “generation to generation” (Daniel 4:4,34). Christ’s dominion is “given to the people of the saints of the most High” (Daniel 7:22). Our purpose then is to see “all people, nations, and languages … serve and obey him” (Daniel 7:14,27).

This comprehensive work offers a fascinating look at the book of Daniel in preterist perspective. Great attention is paid to the writings of ancient and modern historians and scholars to connect the dots and demonstrate the continuity of Daniel’s prophecy with all of Scripture.

A Revival Account: Asbury 1970 (DVD)

What is true Revival and Spiritual Awakening?

Discover the answer in this eyewitness account by Dennis Kinlaw, President of Asbury College, Wilmore, Kentucky, who recounts the story of a visitation of the Holy Spirit in 1970. This is the presentation that has continued to spark the flames of Revival in the hearts of people around the world. Contains eyewitness footage from the Revival at Asbury College in 1970 in Wilmore, Kentucky.

Certain to challenge you to greater holiness and a deeper commitment to full-scale revival. Original news and private footage has been included. If you are a student who longs to see a spiritual awakening at your school, you must see this video!

“This simple video does a wonderful job of conveying something of God’s heart and power, Everyone we have ever shown this to has received an immediate impartation of faith for revival and the power of prayer.”— Bob and Rose Weiner, Weiner Ministries Int’l

The United States of America 2.0: The Great Reset (Book)

High Quality Paperback — 40 pages of dynamite!

Revival, Resistance, Reformation, RevolutionAn Introduction to the Doctrines of Interposition and Nullification

In 1776, a short time after the Declaration of Independence was adopted, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin were assigned to design an official seal for the United States of America. Their proposed motto was Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God. America owes its existence to centuries of Christian political philosophy. Our nation provided a model for liberty copied by nations the world over.

By the 21st century, we need a “Puritan Storm” to sweep away the Hegelian notion that the state is “God walking on earth.” We need revival and reformation in full force to vanquish the problems that plague us as a nation — from government controlled healthcare — to abortion on demand — to same sex “marriage.” This booklet gives a primer on our founders’ Christian idea of government and examines how the doctrine of nullification was woven into the Constitution as a safeguard against federal tyranny. It concludes with the history and theology of civil resistance. A Second American Revolution is coming with the Word of God growing mightily and prevailing! (Acts 19:20).

The Silent Scream (DVD) Eight Languages

“When the lives of the unborn are snuffed out, they often feel pain, pain that is long and agonizing.” – President Ronald Reagan to National Religious Broadcasters Convention, January 1981

Ronald Reagan became convinced of this as a result of watching The Silent Scream – a movie he considered so powerful and convicting that he screened it at the White House.

The modern technology of real-time ultrasound now reveals the actual responses of a 12-week old fetus to being aborted. As the unborn child attempts to escape the abortionist’s suction curette, her motions can be seen to become desperately agitated and her heart rate doubles. Her mouth opens – as if to scream – but no sound can come out. Her scream doesn’t have to remain silent, however … not if you will become her voice. This newly re-mastered version features eight language tracks and two bonus videos.

The Abortion Matrix:
Defeating Child Sacrifice and the Culture of Death is a 195-minute presentation that traces the biblical roots of child sacrifice and then delves into the social, political and cultural fall-out that this sin against God has produced. You can order this series on DVD, read the complete script and view clips on-line...continued ...